Herrmann International Paper Outlines Steps for Developing Manager Agility
Drawing on more than 30 years of brain research and current studies, Herrmann International’s white paper, Navigating in an Unpredictable and Complex World: Why Thinking Agility is Critical to a Manager’s Success, outlines a thinking-based approach learning and skills professionals can apply to accelerate managerial development and increase overall agility.
‘Considering the complexities and uncertainties of the business environment, most organisations now agree that agility is an essential leadership competency, but the question is, how best to develop it?’ says Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, CEO of Herrmann International. ‘Our research shows that the way people prefer to think impacts how they approach interactions, decisions, problems and every other aspect of work and management. By using thinking as the foundation for learning and development, we can help managers increase their agility and effectiveness exponentially across the board.’
In addition to providing examples of how thinking agility helps managers handle issues stemming from market conditions such as globalisation, rapid technological advances and changing customer expectations, the paper offers an ‘Agile Leader’s Toolbox,’ a checklist for increasing managerial agility in the areas of problem solving, execution, influence and innovation. It also explores strategies companies like IBM are using to help leaders build the thinking flexibility to manage through change and execute on complex tasks.
‘The goal is to round out the person’s ability to seamlessly move from situation to situation, person to person, and geography to geography to be more effective as a leader every day,’ explains Rich DeSerio, a former IBM executive who led the company’s Leadership Development Global Design Team.
The white paper is available for download: Navigating in an Unpredictable and Complex World: Why Thinking Agility is Critical to a Manager’s Success.
Herrmann International representatives will also be available to discuss how to incorporate thinking agility into learning and development strategies at Stand #349 at the Learning and Skills 2014 Exhibition and Conference, 29-30 January, Olympia 2 London.